Foreign registration · Form CF-1

Pennsylvania Corporation Foreign Registration in West Virginia

To do business in West Virginia, a corporation formed in Pennsylvania registers there on Form CF-1, with $101 in state fees. West Virginia may ask for Pennsylvania's Subsistence Certificate ($40). We file it with the Secretary of State, Business & Licensing Division from your Pennsylvania records, then serve as your agent for service of process there for year one.

What Pennsylvania and West Virginia each ask for

	Pennsylvania formed here	West Virginia registering here
Document	Pennsylvania Subsistence Certificate	Form CF-1, Application for Certificate of Authority
State fee	$40	$101 at order (filing fee $100 plus charges collected at filing)
How it is handled	Pennsylvania: online through Business Filing Services, or by mail on the copy and certificate request form	Filed with West Virginia
Paid expedite		next-day $25, same-day (in person) $25, 2-hour $250, 1-hour $500
Office	Pennsylvania Department of State, Bureau of Corporations and Charitable Organizations	West Virginia Secretary of State, Business & Licensing Division
Official page	file.dos.pa.gov	sos.wv.gov
Yearly filing	Annual Report, $7, every year	Annual Report, $25, every two years
Due	June 30	July 1 each year
Agent	Your Pennsylvania registered office	Our West Virginia agent for service of process

How Pennsylvania companies register with West Virginia

We prepare and file Form CF-1
It lists us as your West Virginia agent for service of process, next to your Pennsylvania name and formation date. If West Virginia wants the Pennsylvania certificate, it is ordered first. After approval, your Pennsylvania corporation is registered with West Virginia.

Will your Pennsylvania name work for West Virginia?

If West Virginia's records show it taken, you can use an alternate name for the Pennsylvania company. We search West Virginia's records for Pennsylvania's name on file before anything is filed.

Agents: West Virginia and Pennsylvania

West Virginia calls it an agent for service of process; Pennsylvania says registered office. West Virginia papers come to us; Pennsylvania's agent is unchanged.

Yearly filings: West Virginia and Pennsylvania

Pennsylvania wants the Annual Report every year ($7); West Virginia wants the Annual Report every two years ($25). Both states' filings stay current side by side.

LLC or corporation, Pennsylvania to West Virginia

An LLC formed in Pennsylvania files Form LLF-1 with West Virginia ($151 in state fees, plus the Subsistence Certificate ($40)). After that come Pennsylvania's Annual Report ($7) and West Virginia's Annual Report ($25). See the LLC filing.

The other way: West Virginia into Pennsylvania

A corporation formed in West Virginia that registers with Pennsylvania files Form DSCB:15-412 with $250 in state fees; no West Virginia certificate is needed. See that filing.

Questions Pennsylvania owners ask about West Virginia

Does my Pennsylvania company need to register in West Virginia?

Yes, once a Pennsylvania business operates there; West Virginia registers it as a foreign corporation.

Is this a certificate of authority?

Yes: West Virginia issues one to Pennsylvania corporations once the form is approved.

How much does the West Virginia registration cost?

$300 at checkout; West Virginia may also want Pennsylvania's Subsistence Certificate, at extra cost.

How long does the West Virginia registration take?

West Virginia's standard processing takes 5 to 10 business days at no extra cost, plus time for Pennsylvania's certificate if West Virginia asks for it. Paid expedite: next-day $25, same-day (in person) $25.

What are the yearly costs for Pennsylvania and West Virginia?

Our agent for service of process renewal ($149 a year), Pennsylvania's report ($7) and West Virginia's report ($25, every two years).

Does West Virginia require a registered agent?

Yes: the Pennsylvania registered office stays, and ours covers West Virginia for year one.

Will West Virginia accept my Pennsylvania name?

Yes, if no company there has it; if one does, it uses an alternate name there and keeps its Pennsylvania name at home.

Can I form a new West Virginia corporation instead?

Yes, but Pennsylvania keeps the original, so you run two companies: the new one files West Virginia's Annual Report ($25), and the original keeps Pennsylvania's Annual Report.

How do I withdraw from West Virginia later?

Pennsylvania companies leave by filing a withdrawal application; until then, West Virginia's report stays due alongside Pennsylvania's filings.

Official sources

People also search

Corporation into West Virginia, by home state (48)

Pennsylvania into other states (41)

The same move for an LLC